A Firebird and a Butterfly
by NTJW
Summary: Wasn't sure whether to put this under Avengers or Thor... Starts in Thor, ends in Avengers. She amuses him, fascinates him, and infuriates him. She was the only person he knew would could render him speechless with just a few words. Loki/OC
1. Prologue: Her Name was Sera

Hello to all! This is written/planned to go with a soundtrack, if you're interested, it's "The Butterfly" by Celtic Woman. Wait the first 12 beats or just the first few seconds. You'll know you've got it right. Take your time reading it/just go with the music. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own Sera. That's it.

..

Her name was Sera. Sera like seraphim, burning, on fire. She was a butterfly, an angel. She was unpredictable, beautiful, strong. She fought and danced and burned but she never harmed those she cared for. She never harmed me.

I remembered when I first met her. Her eyes blazing, her words scalding. I've never met anyone like her. I never expected someone who looked so delicate to be so full of energy. One minute she was yelling at me in anger and the next minute she was crying and begging to be left alone. She confused me, and yet somehow, she made sense.

She amused me like no other. She was so fleeting, like a butterfly. No matter how much I knew, she could still surprise me. I could only catch glimpses of her, I could never really see her as a whole. The pieces that I had seemed so disjointed, so unrelated; it made no sense that one person could be all of them and more. But she was all that I knew and much more.

I remember when she stole my helmet and went running through the halls of the palace, calling me a donkey and laughing all the way. By the time I finally managed to retrieve it, the entirety of Asgard knew that Loki, the crown prince, had been seen running after a girl who had his helmet and the palace residents were falling out of their seats with laughter. For an eternity after that even the maids would hide smiles behind their hands and the servants could not stop themselves from grinning whenever they were near me.

She was radiant, like a Ljósálfr, fairer than the sun to look at. But there was something different about her. She was radiant but like a whirlwind or a wildfire. Out of control but not out of hand. She was untamable, like a fire that cannot be contained. She was like a cat, chasing a butterfly. Except that she was both the cat and the butterfly. She was an eagle, precise and merciless. She never sugar-coated anything, she was always straight-forward. At least that's what I thought.

Sparring with her or watching her fight was another matter. She could hold her own against the warriors three as well as Sif, but she could not hope to best Thor in strength. When she fought she was like a wolf. Cunning, calculating. She was like a bird of prey. She swooped and dodged, parrying and diving in to stab or slice. It was mesmerizing to watch. _She_ was mesmerizing to watch. Like fire.

She was like fire, burning dancing. A raging wildfire but at the same time a candle that could be done in by the slightest puff of air or a tiny drop of water. Powerful, but vulnerable. She _was_ fire. And her name was Sera.

..

Read/Review please!


	2. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the prologue :D  
Probably won't be updating very frequently because I've got pharmtech testing coming up D:

Disclaimers: I don't own Loki, at least in this sense... I don't think there's copyrights on mythology right?

..

He ran up the spiral staircase. He had to get away. He had to think. He wasn't Odin's son. His father was a frost giant. His adopted brother Thor was banished to Midgard. His adopted mother had asked him to take the throne in place of Odin and Thor. Adopted, adopted, adopted. It was too much all at once. He needed to be alone.

Loki threw open the heavy doors and immediately cursed his luck. There _would _be someone already here. Of all days and of all times. He hadn't even known that anyone other than himself was aware of the secluded balcony.

He gritted his teeth, "Get out," he ordered.

The silhouette sitting on the balcony did not respond.

"Your king orders you to get out," Loki ground out.

A light chuckle, "But you're not my king," a woman's voice, Loki noted.

He drew himself up more, "Odin has gone into Odinsleep, Thor has been banished, I am king now and you will do as I say."

"Liking that king title now, are we?" the figure approached him.

Loki was taken aback as her golden eyes bore into him. No one in Asgard had eyes that color, "You are not of Asgard."

Something snapped in her, he could see it. The way her eyes blazed and the thin line that appeared on her forehead.

—

She crossed her arms, "Really now, are you sure? Do I have to have Asgardian blood to be of Asgard? Can it not be the simple fact that I was born and raised in Asgard that makes me of Asgard rather than who my parents are? And what does it matter to you if I'm from Asgard or not?" she spat each question out as though trying to rid a bitter taste from her mouth. She turned back toward the ledge of the balcony.

Really, it wasn't any of his business where she had come from at all. For all he knew she could be Odin's father's bastard son's daughter come to reclaim her rightful place in Valhalla. She snorted softly, if only he knew.

—

He stared. This girl had summed up the entirety of his convoluted thought process in two questions, "You-"

She whirled around, "I'm done thinking, the balcony is yours _your highness_," gave a mocking bow, "I do apologize for intruding on palace grounds."

Loki replaced her spot, staring out at Asgard. He wanted nothing more to keep this realm safe. _His_ realm. Letting Thor take the throne as he was would have resulted in a disaster. He couldn't get it off his mind that this was now _his_kingdom. It wasn't that he didn't want it, but what better way to protect a kingdom if you are its king? Loki sighed. Then there was the matter of his heritage.

He could never for the life of him imagined that he was a frost giant. Odin probably only took him to be useful, as a bargaining device perhaps? Or as a weapon? No matter. What mattered was that he had been lied to all these years. All the imagined disillusions of favoring Thor were now true. He knew that he couldn't have—Loki heard a small cough from behind him. He straightened up and stiffly turned.

—

She smirked, she knew he would be furious with her. But really, it was just too much amusement to pass up. After all, no one asked him to clarify his kingly-ness so much.

"What are you doing here?" he was practically shaking with pent up frustration.

She inclined her head slightly, never breaking eye contact, "Forgive me, my lord. I did not have your leave to go."

—

He could see the mischief and wry laughter in her eyes, "Leave me," he clenched his jaw, this girl was insufferable.

"Finally," she rolled her eyes, "Oh, I'm sorry," she gave an exaggerated expression of surprise, "I mean, thank you, your highness," the derision in her voice was not missed. Before Loki could stop spluttering in rage to reply, she was through the balcony doors already.

He ran after her. No one got the best of Loki. _No one_ got the last word with Loki. He burst through the doors, about to retort when he realized, the staircase was empty. He looked over the railing. There was no sound of footsteps, no rustling of cloth. The only thing that greeted him was a rush of hot air, and then nothing.

His anger partially subsided to be replaced with confusion. Perhaps he had imagined the entire scenario? He wouldn't have put it past himself considering his current state of mind. He shut the doors and resumed pacing the balcony.

..

Thank you for reading!

R/R please and thank you~


	3. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter~! This was pretty strongly influenced by my philosophy class that I took last year, props to whoever understands the reference! :3

On another note, I just moved into college a few days ago so I'm getting settled in while classes start and I'm starting up my daily routine. Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon!

Disclaimer: I own Sera... although idk about Loki... theoretically he's a Norse mythological character... so if someone were to own the rights to him it would be a bit awkward, that's like saying you have the copyright of Zeus...

..

Loki had been sitting in his room, contemplating his fate, "Perhaps, I should get rid of Thor and make it seem as though it were an accident: an unforeseen tragedy to occur on Midgard. Father would definitely notice me then."

"Is it worth it?"

He started and looked up from his desk. It was that… apparition again, "Is it worth what?" Loki hissed, determined to be free of this hallucination.

"Worth Odin's approval," she stepped in from the balcony, through the flowing golden curtains to stare at him, "Is killing your brother, worth the attention of your father?"

"You…" he ground his teeth, "Of course it is worth it. Who are you to speak of such matters that you know nothing of!"

She raised her eyebrows as she turned to him, "I heard enough to know. I truly did not mean to, but I daresay that voicing one's musings out for the world to hear is not the wisest idea. Nor is lying to your brother."

Loki's eyes widened, "You vile creature, you were eavesdropping!" he practically jumped out of his seat at a sudden realization, "How would you know of my visit to Midgard? It would be unwise to meddle in affairs you know naught of." he strode towards her.

It was amusing really, she could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears, "You should learn how not to be a brainless fool. I was not eavesdropping but, my lord, you were speaking loudly enough to hear from the gardens. Do continue. I believe there are Aesir a dozen leagues away who have not heard your tirade."

"I hid my actions, imbecile. Do not think I have not seen past your lies and trickery."

She snorted, "This coming from the God of Mischief himself," she raised her chin up defiantly, "You hid your actions from those in Asgard. If one were to leave Asgard for the heavens, your actions would be seen in stunning clarity."

His mouth opened and closed—she was instantly reminded of the sea creatures of Midgard—before he composed himself, "What I do, is not for you to question."

"Of course," she rolled her golden eyes, "Because you are the king."

"Do not try me, weakling. You would not know of the situation that drives me to do this," Loki spat.

She glared at him and said harshly, "I would understand better than most of the circumstances that would drive you to this madness; however, I do not condone your actions."

He narrowed his eyes, "I did not ask for your permission. These actions are mine and mine alone, I do not need your acceptance, nor do I need your acquiescence."

"How desperately do you want this? You cannot possibly rival me in the desire to feel acceptance, but tell me, how much are you willing to sacrifice to attain your wants?" it was her turn to hiss at him now.

If Loki was taken aback slightly, he never would have admitted it, "I am willing to sacrifice more than you would know."

She began to circle him, much as a wolf does when it is sizing up its enemy, "Allow me to ask of you one question, your highness," the title came out as an insult, "Would you rather live the lie and forget the truth, or know the truth and live with the pain? Tell me, Loki, God of Mischief."

He turned to keep his eye on her, "What are you suggesting?" at present, he ignored the jab at his title. Loki was more intrigued by the question she asked. He could not make heads or tails of it.

"Imagine there is a cave, Loki," she stopped pacing and stood to face him, "A cave where prisoners are kept. They grow up, tied down, facing the back of the cave. It is all they know of. There is a fire lit behind them, and constantly, there are people, the conquering people, moving back and forth in front of the flames, casting shadows onto the wall of the cave the prisoners face. The prisoners learn to recognize each shadow and make inferences of what each shadow could be."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Go on," he said slowly.

"Imagine that one day they were to be cut loose and they saw that their entire world as they knew it: the cave, the light, the shadows; was nothing as it had seemed, tied up in their decrepit positions," she pointed at him, "You are in that position right now."

He cleared his throat slightly, "I know not what you speak of," although there was a nagging sensation that he did.

"Would you rather live the lie as Odin's son and forget the truth, or know the truth behind your heritage and learn to live with the pain," she added quietly, "as I have…"

He took a step back at this statement, "You—"

"Tell me, Loki," she had composed herself, "Remember, at least you have a choice."

"A choice… ?" he understood what she had said, but could not quite comprehend the 'choice' she spoke of.

"Loki Laufeyson," she watched him cringe a little at the name, "or Loki Odinson," this seemed to bring about a flicker of despair in his blue eyes, now riveted on her, "What will it be? Deceived by darkness with no knowledge of light, or burned by the fire?"

Loki continued to stare at her.

"The choice is yours, your highness," there was no derision in her voice this time. She swept a graceful bow before turning away.

"You…" he swallowed, his mouth had gone dry at her last few statements, "You are?"

She gave him a wan smile, "I am Sera, daughter of none," before walking out of the room.

..

Thank you for reading!

R/R! ^^


End file.
